News » Small-scale agriculture by far superior to the large scale

Small farms with high biodiversity proves to saturate more people than large-scale farming does, if they are also to be self-sufficient in fuel and fertilizers . This is shown in a dissertation presented last fall at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala by Kristina Belfrage.

Christina Belfrage mean that organic farming saturates more, contrary to the general perception of economies of scale. She stands before Ekeby experimental in Roslagen, where she test grow alternative crops.

Christina Belfrage dismisses in her thesis the conclusion that four scientists at the Agricultural University performed at the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet opinion page November 16, 2014. They argued that a shift to organic agriculture would lead to world hunger. She believes that their method of using pesticides in agriculture to increase food production to future generations a disservice. She argues instead that if one measures the total food production, not only the harvest of single crops, it can be up to ten times more efficient with smallholdings.

The surest way to achieve a high long-term food production is through an optimal adaptation to the natural conditions, and it comes to getting agriculture resource efficient with high biodiversity. According to her, many different species, pastures and adequate labor supply is important. One effect of small-scale organic farming is the fact that it would take about four times more skilled agricultural workers than are available today.

Belfrage has also studied what kind of biofuels should be used in order to satisfy as many people as possible, and concluded that a combination of workhorse and canola oil-powered tractor was the option that produced the most food.

The animals have an important role in organic , small-scale agriculture. If the number of animals also reduces the ecosystem services that pets provide, she reasons .An example of such a procedure is , according to her, when the hens are allowed to stay in the greenhouses during the winter to fertilize the soil and heat the greenhouse. In the spring , they can go in vegetable conditions and weed weeding and soil of the fertilizer. During the summer, they're useful in dunghills in the pastures where the parasite decontaminate the soil. In the fall , they take care of fallen fruit.

The dissertation also discusses the obstacles and opportunities from a social perspective , and what it would have on impact if one were to introduce this form of agriculture on a large scale in Sweden .

- My conclusions are challenging and partly different from those presented in the Environmental Council of the preparation report on the Rural Development Programme says Belfrage.